On The War On Deer

I recently read a column by Karin Yates, which appeared in the February 10, 2013, issue of The Chapel Hill News and was entitled ILLOGICAL WAR ON DEER. It is the best article that I have ever read about the insanity and cruelty of bow-hunting.

It is hard to believe that in the triangle area, supposedly filled with intelligent and informed individuals, we would not only ALLOW, but, in fact, SUPPORT, such an inhumane activity, one that traditionally leaves the injured victim to die a slow and painful death until it finally succumbs to sepsis. It is ironic that many of the same people who condone bow-hunting are the same ones who believe in euthanizing their beloved dog or cat when it no longer has a comfortable quality of life.

Ms. Yates offers an array of alternatives to deer overpopulation, including immunocontraceptives (of which many of us were unaware), and she suggests that Duke Forest would be an ideal spot for deer contraception research, rather than continuing its present employment of bow hunters, and closing the area for those of us who love to walk its trails.

And I was amazed to learn that deer actually provide a buffer for the spread of Lyme disease by the ticks that are hosted by the white-footed mouse!

In a recent Letter to the Editor, Mr. Ramon Bell, Past President of the North Carolina Bow Hunters Association, refuted Ms. Yates’s statements, claiming that bow-hunting is “effective, efficient…and humane.” I checked with a former bow-hunter who gave up the sport because of the large number of injuries it inflicts, and he estimates that 50% is a conservative figure. He still hunts but only with guns, and for this reason.

The white man seems to always feel that he deserves to move in as king of his territory, eradicating the creatures that were here before we encroached on their space. In the past, the victims of abuse were the Indians. Today, it is the deer.

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